“Can we drop by the bookshop?” I asked. “Might be worth checking there.”
We took two cars. When we arrived, I got out of the car, but the windows of the bookshop were smashed. We entered the store anyway.
“Doesn’t look like he’s been around for a while,” Peter said as we checked out the damage. The books were ripped apart, and graffiti had been smeared all over the walls. Also, I was pretty sure somebody had urinated on the counter.
“I’ll check upstairs,” I said, and I ran up to Eddie’s room. It was almost the same as the last time I had seen it. It still had that odd unlived-in vibe, cheap furniture, and empty space, but the feeling of dark magic was gone. I checked the drawers—empty. Eddie had taken the book. I looked up at the wall to see an empty space where the painting had once been.
“It’s all gone,” Peter said from the doorway.
“Looks like it. But why?”
“He isn’t coming back. Maybe he’s out of our hair.”
I frowned at the blank space on the wall. “Maybe.”
He moved closer and kissed my neck. All I could think about was saying goodbye.
“If he isn’t gone, you should take Emmett and run,” I said.
“You could come with us this time.”
I shook my head, turning to face him. “I can’t.” I brushed my lips against his and walked away.
“I don’t think he’s coming back here,” I said when I joined the others outside. “Has anybody seen Marina?”
“No,” Gabe said. “She must be with Eddie.”
“We should get out of here,” Esther said, glancing at the broken streetlamps in concern. “The sooner we have some werewolves on our side, the better.”
“Getting to them might prove difficult,” Gabe said. “Elathan tells me the Headquarters are barely better than the streets. We’ll be fighting our way in.”
“Yeah, but we’ll stroll out of there with the werewolves next to us,” I said, trying to smile.
Chapter Twenty-Two
We drove toward the Headquarters, but we hadn’t gone five miles before Peter shouted at Gabe to stop the car. Gabe slowed but didn’t stop.
“Look,” Peter said, pointing.
A gang of humans, both male and female, were busy dragging a young couple from a house. The woman fought fiercely, scratching and biting, then a punch from one of the attackers stunned her.
“We don’t have time for this,” Gabe insisted.
I kicked his seat. “Stop the freaking car.” He pressed on the brake and, as I was in the process of already removing my seatbelt, my forehead smacked against the back of his seat. “Arsehole!”
I jumped out, followed closely by Peter. The second car pulled up behind Gabe, and I was soon joined by all of my companions.
The man was begging for mercy, for help, for pity. The woman had been forced to her knees, and she gazed at her attackers as if memorising their faces.
“There a problem here?” I asked.
Seven faces turned to me.
“No problem,” a man said, his fingers twisting in the female victim’s hair. “Keep on moving.”
“Not gonna happen,” Peter said.
A woman stepped out of the house, holding three pairs of shoes. “Do these look like—” She stopped when she saw us. “She’s one of them. Him as well. Probably all of them.”
They came at us as if to attack, the young couple forgotten. Thirty seconds later, they were all face-planted on the ground. I called Shay. He had no problem sending help our way.
“You okay?” I asked the couple. They had watched the short fight in silence, standing against the front door of the house.
The man nodded, his eyes wide with shock. “They said we didn’t look human enough. What the hell has gone wrong in this country?”
The woman stared at Phoenix as her partner thanked us. “They didn’t know,” she said. “They didn’t even know my grandmother was fae. They attacked us for something to do.”
“You’re fae?” Phoenix asked.
“My grandmother was,” she corrected. “My grandfather was human. She hated her own people. She used to scare my sister and me with stories when we were kids. We grew up terrified. Now I have to be afraid of humans. Is it ever going to be safe?”
“Someday,” Phoenix said. “My mother’s dead, so it’s a lot safer for people like us today.”
“It was just an excuse,” Peter said. “They wanted an excuse, and that’s the most believable one right now.”
“We have to go,” Gabe said when we heard police sirens in the distance.
“And as soon as the Gardaí pick up this crowd, we’ll be on our way,” I said.
The Gardaí showed up two minutes later.
“Whelan couldn’t make it,” one of them said as they made arrests. “There’s a massive fire in the middle of the city. Came out of nowhere, so he’s checking out the scene with the fire chief, but he wants to know what he should do with the supernaturals he arrests. Can the Guardians take them off our hands? Cells are getting a little full, and we’ve had one lunatic bust right through the bars already. That’s gonna get old fast.”
“We’ll organise it as soon as we gain some control,” Gabe said. “Tell him to expect my call tonight. As soon as we get access to the cells, the Guardians will organise a pickup. If he needs it, I’ll send a group to guard your cells.”
We loaded back into the cars and got back on the road. We stopped two more times to end some minor skirmishes on the streets. Tempers were flaring, and some people were taking advantage of the confusion. I had expected looters, but it wasn’t as bad as it could have been, except for the assassins. Shay and some Guardians kept Gabe informed. The assassins had apparently gone wild without leadership.
“Or maybe somebody else has taken over,” I said. “Somebody who likes chaos.”
“Are you thinking of Reuben?” Gabe asked.
“Why not? He left, and he’s pissed. He doesn’t have the same self-control as Daimhín, and he’s an ancient vampire. He feels like the world owes him. If we clean up the assassins, he might come out of hiding.”
“Too many loose ends,” Gabe muttered.
“How are you doing?” Peter asked me under his breath. “Carl told me you were hurt pretty bad.”
“We’ve all been hurt,” I said sharply. “No point feeling sorry for ourselves.”
He reached for my hand, but I pulled it out of his reach and turned away from him. Maybe I was chickening out, but I had enough on my plate.
We finally made it to the Headquarters and were greeted by Elathan and a group of Guardians. The remainder of Esther’s Circle were there, including Quinn and Alanii. Alanii’s cheek was marred by a nasty wound that would likely leave a scar.
“Caught up with an old friend of mine,” she explained when she saw me looking. “He trained me, but decided he liked the look of Fionnuala’s tattoos. I told him that was a deal-breaker, and he didn’t take it so well.” She grinned. “All of the extra training Esther made us do paid off at last.”
“After all of those complaints?” Esther teased. “See? I was good for something, after all.”
Gabe broke in impatiently. “Can we get started now? Clear a path. Make sure Phoenix reaches the werewolves. They’re our only hope of maintaining any semblance of order tonight.”
Aiden stepped forward. “We’ll split into three groups. Stay close, but if we get separated, stay with your designated group. Gabe, Peter, and Ava, you’re with Phoenix. Elathan’s group will lead the way. Shifters, with me. We’ll stay behind Phoenix’s group and make sure nobody gets a chance to sneak up on them. Once the werewolves are free, stay out of their way, shifters in particular. We move quickly and quietly. Once we have the werewolves, everyone head to the main hall. If we get that far, we’ll regroup and discuss our options.”
We all moved into our groups. I was glad to be away from Aiden, but I could have done without Peter complicating things.
“What about th
e females and the children?” I asked Phoenix when Aiden’s group gave us the all-clear to step inside.
“We’re only taking some of the fighters with us,” Phoenix said. “I’ll leave two fathers to guard the passageway and hope they don’t tear each other apart. I think the potential danger to their young will keep their needs in check. If we can keep the ones we take calm, we should be okay.”
“We’ve faced worse things, right?” I said. “The werewolves will be okay.”
“I’m not worried about them,” he said. “I’m quite worried about us, though.” He glanced at me, and I caught a glimpse of fear. That didn’t help.
Peter fell in step next to me, and Phoenix quickened his pace to match Gabe’s.
“You’ve barely said two words to me,” Peter said quietly.
“Kind of had a lot going on in the five minutes since you decided to come back.”
“I’m glad we came back,” he said. “We all missed the place.”
“You should have stayed away. It’s been hell here.”
“Without me?” he teased.
I glared at him. “Because of all the deaths, you gimp.”
“I was joking!”
“Carl tells me my sense of humour died a few months ago.”
“But you did it,” he said. “You found out who was in charge of the slave markets, and you dealt with them.”
“Leaving the way free for Eddie to do who knows what.”
He smiled. “It’s just Eddie. We’ll talk him out of it.”
“It’s way bigger than Eddie getting some random idea into his head. This involves all of us.”
“What are you on about?”
I hesitated then figured that he wouldn’t get the chance to kill me with so many witnesses. “The thing is, I think we’re all meant to be here at this time, working together.”
“What, like our destiny?” he scoffed.
I winced. “Kinda, yeah. The angels protected me from the vampire who killed my parents for a reason. Gabe said they never interfere with the first vampire, but they kept me hidden somehow, and I think it was so I could someday be here to stop Eddie.”
“Why would you think that?”
“There are way too many coincidences, too many things that led us onto this path. And you… you were saved, too.”
He screwed up his face. “Me? When?”
“Okay, don’t get mad.” I held my breath as his expression changed. “I met Shay before that day in Kerry.”
His silence was terrifying.
“Carl and I figured we needed to know more about what happened when Emmett was taken all those years ago. He tracked down Shay, and get this, Shay reckons you kept bleating on about a white light saving you. That is, until your so-called uncle visited you in the hospital, and you never mentioned it again.”
“I don’t remember any white light. And I don’t have an uncle.”
“Exactly.”
He stopped walking. “Shit.”
“Yeah, I know. I suspect it was Cam.”
He started walking again, too fast. “You’ve known this since before we visited Kerry? You and Carl. You’ve kept this from me.”
“We figured you didn’t need to know. It worked out in the end. This was just an extra annoyance.”
“Why the hell would an angel save me? It’s only chance that got me back here.”
“Maybe it had something to do with me being meant to meet Emmett. Or you bringing me to Eddie. I just—”
He held up his hand. “I don’t want to talk right now. I need to think about this.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, a little frantic. “I needed you to know, but there never seemed to be a good time.”
He pushed ahead without responding.
Gabe looked back at me. “Everything all right?”
I nodded glumly. I wasn’t sure what it all meant, but my gut kept screaming at me that it had something to do with Eddie. Why and how, I didn’t know, but something connected us all.
We made it to the corridor that held the secret passageway with only a few minor attacks. We left no survivors to run for help. We had numbers and organisation, so there wasn’t much stopping us. The others stood guard in the hallway while Gabe, Phoenix, and I headed in to see the werewolves again.
“I was worried my mother had told Reuben how to free the werewolves,” Phoenix admitted as we walked through the tunnel.
“That would have been unfortunate for Reuben,” Gabe said. “I can’t imagine the werewolves following orders from vampires.”
“But they’re in cages,” I said. “The vampires could have done some damage before the werewolves freed themselves.”
The werewolves howled in greeting as we grew closer to the cages, one voice getting louder than the others until they had all fallen silent except for Icarus. His skin was bruised from where he had thrown himself at the bars, as if he had known something was wrong, but the cage still held.
“It’s okay,” Phoenix murmured as he opened Icarus’s cage. “We’ll fix this.”
Icarus reared up, shifting into his werewolf form. He looked like something out of my nightmares, and I felt a real sense of relief that he was on our side. He seemed agitated, stretching and making strange sounds, but Phoenix kept whispering to him, and eventually, the werewolf calmed down. The other werewolves had been just as edgy in the cages, but once Icarus chilled out, they seemed calmer.
“He’s a major influence on them,” Phoenix explained. “I can’t let the others out if he’s stressed. It leads to violence, each and every time.”
“How many can we take?” Gabe asked.
“Six, if you can hold two leads,” Phoenix replied. “We don’t want too many of them out at once in case we all die.”
“Nice to see some optimism,” Gabe said drily. “Fine. I’ll help. But if any of them cock their legs near me, I’ll be forced to act.”
Phoenix looked amused as he organised the werewolves. Gabe and I brought some of them out into the hallway while Phoenix set up some guards within the secret passageway.
“Think this will work?” I asked when Phoenix finally joined us with the final two werewolves.
“Only one way to find out,” he replied cheerily.
“You seem happy,” I said as we moved toward the main hall.
“My children wished me luck before I left,” he said. “I felt that was a good sign. Thank you.”
“Not down to me. You kind of bond with people once you kill with them. That’s why you and I get along.”
He frowned until I laughed, then he grinned, shaking his head.
“We should take the cells back,” I said. “It’s time to start arresting people rather than murdering everyone. Only the biggest idiots will fight back now that the werewolves are here.”
“She’s right,” Phoenix said. “My mother didn’t understand mercy, but it could help us.”
We fought our way to the cells, but as I predicted, few Guardians or trespassers wanted to fight a werewolf. Some joined us, while others allowed themselves to be locked away in the cells until we could figure out what to do with them. It was pretty amazing how little violence was needed when we stood next to something as violent as a werewolf.
On the way to the main hall, we came across an increasing number of supernaturals. Some were Guardians, and others had been attracted by the chaos. Most gave up as soon as they saw the werewolves, but some of the Guardians who had been loyal to Fionnuala were infuriated by the mere sight of us. We didn’t kill them, but the Council’s cells were a lot more packed by the time we were through.
In the main hall, we sidled through a crowd. An overweight giant of a man sat in Gabe’s seat, a tiny woman perched on his knee.
“Exiles,” Gabe said. “I believe you’re in my seat.”
“From what I hear, nobody owns these seats,” the man shouted.
A number of people cheered.
“You hear wrong,” Phoenix said as Icarus bared his fangs.
?
??Maybe we did,” the man said, eyeing the werewolves. “But it’s not safe anywhere else right now.”
“Not safe here either,” Peter said.
The giant shrugged and set the woman on her feet. She approached us with no fear. She only reached Phoenix’s hip, but she stared up at him as if he were dirt upon her shoe.
“So you’re the one,” she said. “And what do you plan to do next, little fae boy?”
“I plan on being a lot like my father,” Phoenix said. “The werewolves plan on eating anyone who offends me.”
She threw back her head and laughed. The rest of the people joined her.
“Get off the man’s seat,” she said. “We’ll not get in your way, but don’t expect us to stay hidden now the fae bitch is gone. We’re not the only ones either. It’s a brand new day, and there are plenty of us willing to take some chances.” She hesitated. “But even my men aren’t so foolish as to take on a werewolf. We’ll help you if we can.”
As our numbers swelled, we got through our task much more quickly. We finally cleared out the Headquarters, convincing the last of the rogue Guardians to join us, go home, or be imprisoned, and we left to check on the children.
The place was still guarded. Noah assured us all was well within the walls, and Phoenix left two werewolves with some of Gabe’s Guard. They were under strict instructions to watch out for Eddie or the witches. We returned to the streets with the remaining werewolves, determined to make our mark.
“Shay’s organised a way for the reporters to get some good footage of Phoenix and the werewolves tonight,” I told the others. “So people can see he hasn’t abandoned them.”
“You’re coming with me,” Phoenix said. “You can lead Icarus again. Gabe can take the others elsewhere. We should go to the worst places. The mere sight of the werewolves should be a good reminder of what could happen.”
Peter seemed pissed off about that, but we all followed Phoenix’s orders without question. Before the reporters arrived with Shay, Phoenix and I roamed the streets with the werewolves. Usually, the werewolves provoked fear or interest, but sometimes, there was anger, too.
“Think they’ll be okay after this?” I asked. “If they’re free.”